English II Lesson Seven

adroit (adj) skillful; clever syn: dexterous; apt ant: clumsy; awkward Definition Example (adj) skillful; clever syn: dexterous; apt ant: clumsy; awkward He was not an adroit speaker, but he was a genius with numbers.

macroscopic (adj) visible to the naked eye ant: microscopic Definition Example (adj) visible to the naked eye ant: microscopic On a clear night, the Milky Way appears macroscopic.

fatuous (adj) foolish; inane syn: silly ant: sensible; wise Definition Example (adj) foolish; inane syn: silly ant: sensible; wise Her fatuous simpering began to grate on our nerves.

bovine (adj) pertaining to cows or cattle Definition Example (adj) pertaining to cows or cattle The large animal figures in thecave drawing depicted bovine creatures.

ferret (v) to search or drive out Definition Example (v) to search or drive out John knew the answer was in the text, but he just couldn’t ferret it out.

affectation (n) a phony attitude; pose syn: insincerity; sham Definition Example (n) a phony attitude; pose syn: insincerity; sham ant: sincerity; genuineness Ginger could not stand the affectations of the girls in the fashion clique.

knell Definition Example (n) a sound made by a bell, often rung slowly for a death or funeral The knell of the church bell told the town that Gertrude had passed away.

dichotomy (n) a division into two parts Definition Example (n) a division into two parts Disagreements among board members created a dichotomy of the charitable organizations.

callow (adj) young and inexperienced syn: immature Definition Example (adj) young and inexperienced syn: immature ant: mature; sophisticated The callow boy left for the war, but an exhausted man returned.

laconic (adj) using few words; short; concise syn: pithy; taciturn Definition Example (adj) using few words; short; concise syn: pithy; taciturn ant: verbose; loquacious He was a laconic man who wasted few words.

quiddity (n) an essential quality syn: essence Definition Example (n) an essential quality syn: essence Patience is the quiddity of a good teacher.

patent (adj) evident or obvious syn: indisputable; apparent Definition Example (adj) evident or obvious syn: indisputable; apparent When the electronics store saw the patent abuse of the game system, they refused to grant a refund.

peccadillo (n) a minor offense; a misdeed Definition Example (n) a minor offense; a misdeed Stealing tips from tables was a peccadillo in Bill’s mind, but a major offense in the minds of the waiters.

sagacious (adj) wise; having keen perception and sound judgment Definition Example (adj) wise; having keen perception and sound judgment syn: shrewd; intelligent ant: obtuse; fatuous The sagacious old man always had the answers to moral problems.

rationalize (v) to make an excuse for syn: justify Definition Example (v) to make an excuse for syn: justify The boy tried to rationalize his absence from school.